I agree. That's the age of majority for most things. Children shouldn't vote. Some might be capable of it, but that doesn't mean give all of them the opportunity--just like everything else in childhood.

If more people in the 18-21 age group, who got the franchise most recently, voted, that might tilt the scale toward lowering the voting age, but since they don't....

Now we need a study on guns. Voting would be harder to study, if it is at all possible. I agree that kids old enough to join the armed forces should be old enough to vote (whether or not they actually join).

Now we need a study on guns. Voting would be harder to study, if it is at all possible. I agree that kids old enough to join the armed forces should be old enough to vote (whether or not they actually join).

I would suggest that any individual who isn't responsible enough to drink isn't responsible enough to operate a heavy machine gun or Assault rifle either.

It's going to be an arbitrary determination in any case because individuals mature at different ages. That's why I ere on the side of caution and say the age should move up (not down).

For example: if we as a society have come across sufficient evidence to say individuals need to be 21 before they are able to drink responsibly - it seems to me that age ought then to carry over to all adult behavior.

At 18, you are old enough to enlist, fight and possibly die for your country. At that point you should be old enough for all adult activities.

As I recall, that was the strongest argument for lowering the voting age to 18. Most states also lowered the drinking age to 18 or 19 during that same time period. Then, the federal government threatened to cut off highway funding to states that maintained a drinking age of less than 21. The age of majority for entering into contracts in my state is 19, so we effectively have 3 different ages marking adulthood. 18 is also our legal age for marriage without parental consent.

Yes. I never really meant to imply that all federal funding would be cut, but the threatened 5% decrease was adequate motivation. I'm not aware of a state that still allows a person under the age of 21 to legally purchase alcohol.

Originally Posted by Ian Jeffrey

That sounds very unusual. Why not 18? Do you know?

If I recall correctly, Alabama lowered the overall age of majority from 21 to 19 when they allowed sales of alcohol to 19 year olds. When they were later pressured into raising the drinking age back to 21, they didn't change the age of majority. Many in the state legislature were angry over having the feds interject themselves into state law, and there was a protest movement during debate within the legislature to raise the drinking age to something like 65. Of course, in the end, that proposal didn't pass.